Electronic and optical systems have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Electronic systems providing these advantageous results are often complex and are tested to ensure proper performance. However, traditional approaches to automated testing can be relatively time consuming and expensive.
Generally, the speed at which a testing is performed can have a significant impact on the cost of testing. As DUTs become more complex and sophisticated the testing also becomes more complex and have a variety of instruments that communicate with one another. Traditional testing systems typically have a bused event architecture that is rather limited. When one instrument gains control of the bus the other instruments are usually precluded from communicating with one another. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary conventional bused event architecture. This approach can impact the test production throughput while consuming limited bus resources.